Kyrie Irving And Kevin Durant Just Had Their Way With The Celtics On National Television

Woah buddy did that fall apart quickly. The score was 73-70 with about 4:35 left in the third quarter and then all hell broke loose. What was a competitive game for about 2.5 quarters turned into one of the worst losses the Celts have ever had in their own building

What else can you say? Kyrie and KD went nuclear, the Celts offense went to complete shit in the second half, and that's how blowout happens. Just like when you play the Bucks, you basically need to be perfect for a full 48 minutes to beat this Nets team. Their top end talent is too good and their depth is too good for you to fuck around and play like dickheads for long stretches. That team we saw in the third quarter was nothing like the team we saw in the first 24 minutes and this is what happens. Nobody was aggressive outside of Jaylen, everyone settled offensively, the defense fell apart, Brad's rotations weren't the greatest, and you see how quickly things can get out of hand.

There is just no world in which you are going to beat the Nets when you put up 41 points on XX shooting in the second half. Not when the Nets are putting up 53/51% with 18 3PM and taking 31 FTA. They shot 65/75% in the second half! Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to two guys getting hot. You could also not play horrific defense, but that's maybe asking too much.

In the end, they split with MIL/BKN. Certainly not what I hoped for but by no means is it a disaster. The lesson here is against the best of the best, you have to play the full 48 minutes. They didn't do that in either game in my opinion. Against the Bucks, they survived. But that's the exception, not the rule. The beatdown we saw over the final 24 minutes is what happens more often than not. 

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Good thing I'm more of a Hanukkah guy or this could have really ruined my Christmas.